Frostbite: A Twilight Saga Continuation
by TranquilGuardian
Summary: Many things have changed since the day that Renesmee Cullen was pardoned death. Over the last few years, a number of hardships and family additions...then subtractions...have been placed on the Cullen family. With Nessie and Jacob's son growing up before their eyes and a seemingly bright future ahead, there doesn't appear to be any more adversities. But it's never that easy, is it?
1. Chapter 1: School

**Disclaimer: I in no way claim ownership of the Twilight Saga books or movies. This is just a fanfiction. **

_A/N: **STOP! **Okay, now that I have your attention, you should know that this is a sequel. :) Feel free to go ahead and read this without reading the other one first, but you might get...erm...confused. If you would, however, like to read the first installment so that you're doing this in order, this is the link: s/9669152/1/Sunrise-A-Twilight-Saga-Continuation . Or feel free to click on my profile, it will be on there as well! Thank you to everyone who is returning from the first fic to read this one, spread the word around if you feel I deserve it! I'll be experimenting around with POVs much more in this one, and mysteries will be solved from the first. ;) As promised...here's the first chapter of _Frostbite_! It's a long one. Enjoy! xxx ~TranquilGuardian_

**CHAPTER ONE: SCHOOL**

_Jacob's POV_

I stared into the small vampire's dark burgundy eyes intensely, refusing to look away. My own eyes were watering as I focused. I wouldn't let the little devil win. I'd come this far; I wouldn't be backing down now. I squinted at her, hands shaking as I gripped the table in front of me.

Laughter filled the air around me as I stared her down, but I wasn't amused. This was war. I felt my eyes tearing up as I forced them to stay open. It was going on five minutes now. The agony seared through the entire upper half of my face, and I knew I couldn't keep this up much longer.

Finally, I just couldn't stand it anymore. I blinked, and kept my eyes closed for a second to rid myself of the pain.

"Ha!" the small red eyed vampire cried triumphantly, sticking her tongue out at me.

I'd been having a staring contest with Alice Cullen.

* * *

A couple of months back, Carlisle had found some freaky concoction that turned Alice into a human. She'd conceived a son with her husband, Jasper. It was too risky to keep a human around, though; not to mention the fact that she was dying of blood loss, so Carlisle had to bite her once her son was born. That turned her into a vampire once more. We were almost positive that Alice was the only vampire to have ever become a human again, let alone to have become a human and then be _willingly_ changed back into a vampire.

Anyway, once Alice was reborn, she wasn't aloud to be around her son Hayden for like two months. Everybody was afraid she was going to eat him or something. So, for the first months of his life, Hayden Jasper had grown up without a mother. Jasper had stepped up, treating his son with as much love and affection as a normal _pair_ of parents could give a kid. He would call Alice every night (from the moment she woke up, she'd been swept off to stay with the Denalis for a few months) and tell her about how wonderful their son was and how he couldn't wait for her to meet her. You can only imagine the surprise that young Hayden felt when Alice was finally aloud to meet him officially. He'd run behind Jasper, quaking with fear at the strange little woman with scarlet eyes.

He'd warmed up to Alice soon enough, though. Now they were joined at the hip, and he had her wrapped around his finger. With his perfect little blonde curls, dimples and large green eyes, he was irresistible.

* * *

"That's what you get for challenging a vampire to a stare down, Jake," Nessie grinned, wrapping her arms around me from behind.

I rubbed my knuckles into my eyes, groaning. "Sure, sure," I mumbled, not wanting to hear it.

Alice picked Hayden up, twirling him around. "Did Momma just embarrass Jacob?" she cooed, nuzzling into the grinning child's neck.

"Yes," Hayden giggled, stretching up to kiss her cheek. "He's all red."

I glared at the cute little kid, sticking my tongue out at him when Alice wasn't looking. He smiled adorably at me in response.

My son Seth walked into the room, hand in hand with Rosalie's adopted daughter Makenna. They looked about the equivalent age of twelve year olds, though in reality, they were much younger. I mean, Hayden, who was only four months old, looked about three _years_ old.

We all knew about Seth's insane crush on Makenna. He'd begun showing it months ago, but within the last couple of weeks they'd been inseparable. I had no doubt that they'd end up together, much to Rosalie's dismay. Sure, she loved Seth; he was her nephew, but the very idea of Makenna being with someone related to me made her shudder. Emmett had been extremely weirded out until Bella had patiently reminded him that there was no blood between Seth and Makenna, and that the Cullens had posed as brothers and sisters to the public when in reality had been paired off into couples.

My son practically worshipped the ground Makenna stood on. There was no lust in their relationship (hello, they were just kids) but he loved her to death and would do anything for her. Even when her requests were slightly demanding.

"Hey, Dad?" Seth asked, coming forward to me hesitantly.

"Yeah buddy?" I asked, still blinking the sting out of my eyes.

"Mickey and I have been thinking…and we think it'd be cool to go to school."

"Seth…" I started, groaning. We'd had this conversation before; many times. It wasn't that I didn't want Seth to have a normal life; Makenna really was the only child his age that he knew. (Physical age, I meant; if he was judged on his actual age, he wouldn't even be in kindergarten yet.) Quil's imprint, Claire, only appeared a bit older than he and Makenna, but they had to try so hard to be patient with her as she wasn't as mentally advanced as they were.

"Uncle Jacob, don't freak yet," Makenna said quickly. "We know we can't go forever; we age too fast. But we _have_ slowed down a lot. Even you have to admit that. I mean, a year couldn't hurt, could it?"

Before I could open my mouth, Nessie squeezed my hand. "We'll talk about it, guys. Go on," she said.

Makenna and Seth looked at each other, mouths hanging open in surprise. "Uh-thanks, Mom! Really!" Seth cried, kissing her cheek.

"I didn't say yes," Nessie warned as they took off, chatting excitedly.

They pretended not to hear her. Typical kids.

"Ness, you're not really considering sending Seth to school…?" Edward protested.

"Daddy, it would be a good experience. For all of us. I've never been to school either, you know. We could go to Port AngelesHigh School, since the teachers at Forks High would remember you. Seth and Makenna could go to the elementary. Of course, Mamaw and Papaw would have to keep Hayden at home, since he's still too young and aging too fast. Come on! One year couldn't hurt us."

"Ness, the rest of us have endured _many_ years of high school," Edward groaned. "I don't protest you going, but why do the rest of us have to join you?"

Nessie ducked her head a little. "I'm scared," she admitted quietly.

"Why don't you just take Jacob with you?" Bella asked.

"Let's not take Jacob with her!" I said quickly. "Nessie, I love you, and I would do anything for you, but I'm _not_ going back to high school."

"I'm sorry, Nessie, but I'm going to have to agree with Jacob on this one. You go, but we won't be joining you," Edward agreed firmly. "That's my final word on the matter."

* * *

"I really, _really_ don't like you sometimes, Nessie," I growled as I slung my backpack over my shoulder.

Edward came up on her other side, hefting his own bag. He gave me a long look, nodding.

"Aw guys, chill out," Emmett said, laughing loudly. "One more year won't hurt us."

Bella looked absolutely miserable as she bumped my shoulder. I looked down at her, and she mimed shooting herself in the head.

I laughed. "Wouldn't do anything but piss you off that it didn't work," I grinned.

She shrugged. "Better than going back to high school."

Carlisle and Esme had practically just had to threaten Rosalie, Emmett, Nessie, and my own lives in order to get us to go to school on time instead of taking our kids for their first days. It was only Seth's "Dad. I don't _need_ you to take me" that convinced me.

We walked in the front office; all eight of us, and the secretary looked up in surprise.

"We're new here. I believe my father gave you a call this morning," Edward said in that soft velvet voice he used when he wanted things to go his way.

"Oh, uh, yes. I have your schedules right here. Um-" She pulled out a small stack of papers. "Alice Cullen?"

"Right here," Alice said, elbowing her way to the front though Emmett and Edward and taking her sheet.

"Edward and Emmett Cullen?"

The two held out their hands, and the secretary gave them their schedules.

"Jasper and Rosalie Hale?" the secretary asked.

"Over here," Jasper said, gesturing to Rosalie and himself.

"Jacob Black?"

"I held out my hand for the paper.

"Bella Cullen?" the secretary asked, looking back and forth from Nessie and Bella.

"That's me," Bella said, smiling at the secretary.

"All right, then you must be…Re…Rene…"

"Renesmee," Nessie said quietly and in embarrassment. "And thanks," she added, taking the paper.

"Renesmee," the secretary repeated, looking flustered. "That's an…interesting name."

"Thanks," Nessie repeated in a mumble, flushing.

I wasn't sure it was a compliment.

* * *

_Makenna's POV_

I glanced over at Seth as Carlisle and Esme filled out our paperwork. He was drumming his fingers on his knee and frowning at the childish educational posters on the office wall.

The secretary smiled at us as Carlisle handed in the forms. "You two will be in Mrs. Durham's class," she said, standing up from behind her desk. "I'll take you there."

Carlisle looked at us and waved, smiling. Esme came over and hugged us, my cousin Hayden on her hip. "Have fun, kids. We'll be here to pick you up at 2:30, okay?"

"Sure, sure," Seth mumbled. It was a habit he'd picked up from Uncle Jacob._ I_ thought it was annoying, but everybody else thought it was cute that he'd taken after his dad. I was sure nobody would think it was cute if I took after _my_ dad. He didn't have the best of vocabularies.

Sure, I knew Emmett wasn't my real dad. But my real dad had been some sick messed up vampire, having kids with human women then leaving them to die. I'd never known him, only Nahuel, my half brother. And even _that_ relationship had been brief. In short, I preferred my cussing, buff dad over whoever had_ really_ created me.

As I let the secretary lead me away, I knew that Seth and I would be way smarter than the other sixth graders. We could do college math pretty well. It was just what came with quick advancement. I'd have to remind Seth to dumb it down.

I was afraid that I would get made fun of for my skin color; the dark chocolate brown complexion I had would be a big contrast from the pale faces of my classmates. I knew Seth would stick up for me if anyone said a word, but that would mean he'd turn into a large wolf with gigantic teeth. It wouldn't exactly be a _good_ way to try and fit in.

"Mrs. Durham? These are your newest students," the secretary said, giving us a gentle shove into the room.

Mrs. Durham looked to me like a guinea pig, but I smiled, nudging Seth to do the same.

"Hello, darlings!" Mrs. Durham said, grabbing our hands and leading us in, as if we were babies.

The secretary left, and I gulped, turning to face my classmates.

"Class, this is Makenna Cullen and Seth Black. They'll be joining us for the rest of the year, so I expect you to be nice to them. Seth, Makenna, you may have a seat at these empty desks," she said, pointing to two desks in the front.

"Do I have to sit in the front?" Seth asked, his voice taking on a whiny edge.

"Yes. Please take your seat."

"Oh, joy," Seth mumbled under his breath, plopping his stuff down on the desk. He really didn't like having an example made of himself, so sitting in the front while the rest of the class stared at us wasn't his idea of a good first day.

I lowered myself into my desk and put my head in my hands. We hadn't even been here five minutes, and I was already afraid Seth was going to get kicked out.

* * *

_Alice's POV_

"Bella, come on," I moaned, trying to rip her—unsuccessfully—from the inside of the stall.

"No!" Bella cried stubbornly, raising that chin of hers in defiance at me.

"He won't recognize you!" I practically hissed, yanking harder. Bella's fingers slid across the hard metal door, leaving deep furrows. I'd forgotten my remaining newborn strength could actually move her. I would've never been able to do this before.

"Yes he will!" Bella insisted, pulling away.

"Bella, your own _father _didn't even recognize you!"

"Mike will! I know him!"

Bella had been mortified to find out that one of her own friends from school, Mike Newton, had become a teacher. She was scheduled to him next period, which had actually started five minutes ago. Ness and Bella were the only two out of all of us who had him; the rest of us had tested into trigonometry, but Bella and Nessie had opted for Calculus. Nessie was standing in front of the mirror, arms folded, obviously ashamed of her mother.

"Let's go, Bella. If by any chance he says something, you say that you don't know what he's talking about. Come on! I really doubt he remembers you; and you have to keep in mind that you _do_ look different."

Bella came out of the stall, looking paler than usual. "Fine." But then she darted back inside. "Tomorrow."

"No, NOW!" But I knew it was no use. I had to call in the big guns.

_Edward Cullen, I need you! _I thought loudly. _It's Alice, and I need you!_

"Your husbands coming to drag you out," I informed Bella haughtily.

"I'm going to class, guys," Nessie said. "Bye." Rolling her eyes, she walked out.

As the seconds ticked by, I started getting worried that Edward wouldn't show. Bella's hand stayed gripping the stall frame, hanging on in case I tried a surprise pull or something.

Finally, Edward poked his head in. I knew there was no getting him inside; a man's pride could only take so much.

"What took so long?" I growled in annoyance.

"I had to fake a stomach ache. Mr. Donald is strict. It was only when Emmett screamed something about me going to 'blow' that he gave me a nurse's pass and shoved me out the door. Anyway, why are you two in here?"

"Bella's refusing to go to class!"

"Why? Are you okay, love?" Edward asked worriedly.

Bella shook her head. "Mike Newton took up a teaching career!" she hissed.

The look on Edward's face suggested he hadn't known that.

* * *

_Rosalie's POV_

When lunch time rolled around, Em, Nessie and I were the first ones in. we sat down at a table together, waiting for the rest. After a little while, Jasper joined us.

"Have you seen your mom, Ness? Or Alice and Edward?" Emmett asked after a minute.

Nessie shrugged. "Last time I heard, about two hours ago, Alice was trying to drag Mom out of the bathroom, and Daddy was coming to help."

Jasper blinked. "Bella decided to take Calculus, didn't she?" he asked, holding back a grin.

Nessie sighed. "Yep. But she never came to class. Mr. Newton's really nice though. And kind of cute," she giggled.

"Stick with the dog," I said distastefully. "_Please_."

Finally, Alice, Edward, and Bella walked in together. Bella flopped down at the table looking distressed. "I hate high school," she announced. Then she looked around. "Where's Jacob?"

* * *

_Jacob's POV_

I started towards lunch at a fast walk, late. So far, my day had gone decent. Unlike in my _true_ high school days, I hadn't been sent to the office today, or even written up by a teacher.

Two guys brushed past me, chatting. "Hey, did you see those new chicks? Damn, they are HOT!"

I felt myself getting angry, so I quickened my pace.

The second guy laughed. "Dibs on the curly haired red head. I bet-" And what he said next, he should've had his tongue cut off and crammed down his throat as punishment for.

Without taking time to think rationally, I launched at him, tackling him to the ground. I had enough common sense to not turn into a wolf, but that was about it.

"What the hell, dude! I can share her!" the guy squeaked, trying to squirm out from under my weight. "We can take turns or something; I bet she'd be into that-"

I reared back and punched him, bloodying his lip. He raised his fist to hit me back, but I slammed his hand back against the floor so hard that his knuckles just…_shattered_.

His friend ran off; to go snitch, no doubt. I didn't care.

Sure enough, within thirty seconds, the principal came over, dragging me off by the back of my shirt. Another administrator was with him, and he helped the crying kid to his feet and took him to the nurse.

"_Office_! Now!" the principal snarled.

I jumped up, shaking. I trailed him into his office dejectedly. He didn't know how close I was to snapping right now and going full wolf.

"What were you thinking?" he demanded as soon as he closed the door.

"He said nasty things about my cousin!" I hissed. (We'd decided beforehand that was how it was going to work.)

"You could've come to me. Instead, you took things into your own hands. Do you even _realize _what kind of trouble you're in? You broke his hand! That's worth expulsion or even prison if they decide to sue, which would look _extremely _bad on your permanent record. We're calling your parents."

"My parents are dead," I said serenely. It wasn't like it was a lie.

"Then your _guardian_ will be notified immediately. Don't be smart with me, boy." He picked up the phone. "Who should I ask for?"

"Um…Esme Cullen," I sighed. I decided to play it safe with Carlisle…he probably wouldn't be too thrilled. I gave him the number reluctantly.

The principal shook his head at me, dialing.

When Esme walked in, Seth Masen trailing her, Hayden on her hip, I knew I was screwed. It was obvious that her patience had been more than pushed. Apparently, Seth had been kicked out. Hayden was crying. And she'd just been called and informed that I'd been in a serious fist fight.

"Hello, you must be Mrs. Cullen," the principal said. "If you'll follow me, we can go talk in my office."

Gritting her teeth at me, Esme dropped the crying Hayden into my lap. "Seth, stay with your brother," she mumbled, following the principal.

As soon as the door was closed, I looked at Seth. "What did you do, young man?" I asked, trying to be firm. I didn't want to be a hypocrite though; I was in some hot water of my own.

"I flipped off Mrs. Durham. I'm suspended for two days," he mumbled. "What did you do?"

"I…got in a fist fight." Then I couldn't help but grin. "If you could even call it that. The other guy didn't get in a single punch."

Seth laughed mischievously, and I realized that wasn't something I should be discussing with my son. I wasn't too great at this 'dad' thing.

Bouncing Hayden on my knee absently, I stared out the window. An ambulance pulled into the parking lot.

I looked away quickly, eyes wide. Unfortunately, Seth saw it too.

"Hey Dad? Exactly how hard did you hit the guy?"

"Not that hard," I lied. I looked away from Seth's questioning gaze.

_Shit._

* * *

"You got in a fist fight on your_ first _day!" Esme sighed as she drove me back to the Cullens'. "Your _first_ day!"

"Esme, you should've heard what that guy said about Ness. I couldn't just let him walk away!"

"What did he say?" Esme sighed.

I glanced over at Seth in the backseat and said it quietly and quickly, too quickly for Seth but at perfect speed for Esme.

"_What_?" she hissed. "Who even _thinks_ like that?"

I patted her stone shoulder. "Teenage boys," I said. "Anyway, if someone had said something like that about Carlisle, would you have just sat there and listened?"

"Probably not," Esme admitted. I felt slight respect for her until what she said _next_ came out of her mouth. "I'd march them down to the office and have their parents called. I'd like to hear them repeat that to their parents."

"_Esme_," I groaned. "I can't play the concerned parent role here. I'm supposed to be seventeen!"

Esme sniffed. "Regardless, what you did was wrong. They gave you a week's suspension, and that's just until a decision can be made on whether you're getting _sued_ for this."

I shrugged. "Doesn't matter. I'm not going back. I decided that I've had enough of '_High School: Try Two_'."

"You're giving up?"

"Yup."

"You're going soft, Jacob," Esme said, trying not to smile. "I remember a time when you would never give up. You never gave up that silly crush for Bella until you actually imprinted on Nessie."

I sighed. "I was so sure I was in love with her. Now I'm kind of glad that she ended up with her bloodsucker." But then my eyes widened. Had I really just said that? Looking over, I saw that Esme had become a statue in the seat beside me, hands tight on the steering wheel.

"I didn't mean to call him that," I said softly, ashamed. "When the past gets brought up, it's easy to stir up old feelings. You know I would never purposely call you guys that now."

"It's okay," Esme replied quietly. "I shouldn't have brought that up anyway."

"You know I don't think of you guys as bloodsuckers."

"Are you sure? Because you've been saying things like that a lot here recently." She wasn't being mean or sarcastic; it was an honest question.

And it was true. Just the other day, I'd casually asked where the rest of the leeches were at while Esme and Alice were the only ones home. About a week before that, I'd called Emmett a parasite unthinkingly.

"I'm sure. Old habits die hard, I guess," I mumbled.

"You know we would never hurt you," Esme whispered, pain in her voice.

"I know, Esme. I know, believe me. I just say those things without thinking."

Esme nodded. "Well, I forgive you. But keep the vampire insults aimed _that_ way, okay?" She pointed out the window.

"Kay." I looked back in the rearview mirror, back at Seth. "Your mom and I are going to sit you down and have a serious talk with you when we get back. You _cannot_ flip off authority figures."

"Says who?"

"Says me and your mom, that's who!"

"Well considering Mom should be in third grade right now…"

"Seth."

"Done talking."

Esme shook her head as we pulled into the driveway. "You two go at it like old women, I swear," she mumbled, pulling into the garage.

Well, he _was_ my blood.

* * *

That evening when the rest got home, Bella and Nessie attacked me.

"Why didn't you show up at lunch?" Bella demanded.

"We waited forever!" Nessie added.

"You got in trouble, didn't you? Damn it, Jacob, what did you do?"

"You ruined this whole day for me, Jake!"

"We worried—"

"We called-"

"Love, you've got him backed against a wall," Edward said gently. "And Ness, let go of his shirt. You didn't even give him time to explain."

Nessie stepped back, crossing her arms. "Explain. Because if it were up to me, I'd still be yelling. But Daddy's acting like a therapist. So go."

"I got kicked out of school for defending _you_ against some perverted teenage boy," I said in exasperation.

Nessie groaned at me, but her face softened a little. "I don't need you to protect me, Jake. I'm a big girl."

"Nessie, he said something so gross you wouldn't hear it come out of _Emmett's _mouth!" I said in frustration. "At least Emmett respects women and doesn't treat them like…like…_sex_ objects!"

Nessie flushed a little. "About me?" she whispered.

I saw Edward bristling in a corner, fists clenched as he read off my mind what the boy had said.

Bella noticed too. "Edward, he's a stupid teenager. And she _is_ very pretty. Sometimes you have to choose your battles. We can't have you getting in trouble too."

"Jacob was justified in hitting him. I regret the fact that I wasn't there, too-"

"Edward," Esme reproved. "You don't mean that. Jacob had no right—"

"Jacob had _every_ right!"

"Enough!" Nessie said loudly. "Jacob and I will discuss this _alone_ tonight. It's no one else's business."

"But-" Edward started.

"Not even yours, Dad."

She turned to the rest of them, taking Seth by the hand as she did. "We're going to bed. I love you all. See you in the morning." She walked up to Edward and Bella, kissing her dad on the cheek and hugging her mom. "Night. And Daddy, please breathe. I heard it's good for the lungs." Glancing meaningfully at me to follow her, she walked out the front door.

* * *

_Nessie's POV_

When I crawled into bed with Jake that night, I glanced at the closed door to Seth's bedroom and snuggled into the covers deeper. "So what exactly did that kid say?" I asked.

Jacob winced. "Please don't make me repeat it, Ness. It's not for your ears."

"I want to know what you thought was so bad it gave you the right to try and kill him," I insisted.

Jacob spat something nearly unintelligible through his teeth.

"What?"

Jacob took a deep breath, blushing. "He said that he betted you-" The rest of his sentence passed through my ears, ripping the whole way. I wished I hadn't asked.

"Oh," I breathed.

"Yeah. So do I get props for hitting him?"

"Major props."

Jacob hand up his hand for a high five.

I rolled my eyes at him and kissed him square on the mouth.

"Screw high fives," Jacob gasped, and I laughed, kissing him again. My big bad wolf would always be there for me, even when I didn't need him to be.

That was an oddly comforting thought.


	2. Chapter 2: The Second Generation

_A/N: Hey, guys! Sorry for the horrid delay. :( My laptop has begun the journey to its grave, I feel, and didn't work at all for a generous period of time. On top of that, I had to buy a new charger, because the one I had quit working! And it didn't help that this chapter was one that had to be written from scratch because this was the scene I deleted from the first fic (and it took place very differently then it does here) so I completely wrote this chapter in about forty five minutes in order to not disappoint any longer. To apologize, I'm putting this chapter up, as well as the original second chapter that is now the third. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas (unless you don't celebrate Christmas, in which case I wish you a Happy Holiday season). You guys are great! ~TranquilGuardian_

**CHAPTER TWO: THE SECOND GENERATION**

_Jacob's POV: _

The next day was a Saturday, so there was no need for anyone to wake up early. When I finally rolled out of bed at about ten in the morning, Nessie's place beside me on the mattress was cold. I blinked the sleep out of my eyes, flattening my unruly hair somewhat in the mirror before stepping into the living room with a yawn. Nessie was sitting on the couch, fully dressed and watching Seth and Makenna, who were on their stomachs on the carpet.

"You could have woken me up," I said sleepily, smiling at her. "I'm not worthy of special treatment."

"I know," she shrugged. "But you looked so peaceful, and Makenna wanted to come over and play with Seth, so I just got up. I figured you could use the extra sleep."

I _did_ know where she was coming from on that one; I hadn't slept much lately, and I didn't know why. Most nights, I would just lay awake staring at the ceiling until about three or four in the morning simply because my brain just wouldn't calm down enough to allow sleep. I assumed that my sleeping patterns were just in the process of changing, so I hadn't said anything to Carlisle. There was no point in making a big deal out of nothing.

Nessie stood. "Now that you _are_ up, though, I'm going to take off for awhile. Mom, Rose, and Alice wanted to take a trip up to Port Angeles for the afternoon and asked if I could go; I need to get ready."

"That sounds like fun," I replied, hugging her gently. "Girls' day?"

Nessie nodded with a smile. "Alice and Rosalie were going for clothes, and they promised Mom they'd take her to a bookstore if she went. I'm only going because I was bribed with a manicure." She dimpled adorably.

I laughed, kissing her forehead. "I wish I got one!" I noticed over her shoulder that Seth had frozen mid sentence to Makenna, a half dumbstruck expression on his face as he stared at her. "Seth? You okay, buddy?" I asked slowly. I didn't like the expression on his face. It looked almost like….

"Dad?" he said hoarsely, standing and leaving a confused Makenna on the floor. He barely managed to look away from her face as he shakily walked towards Nessie and myself, fear on his face. "What are the odds of someone one third shape shifter imprin-"

I placed my hand over his mouth, my stomach sinking. "Hallway, okay?" This was exactly what I'd feared when I'd seen that longing look on my son's face, and it hit me. Seth really _was_ technically old enough. He'd entered puberty; his hormones were going. He actively used his wolf form at least once every other day, if nothing more then to go running and goof off. This really could be an imprint, and I would be an idiot to not take him seriously.

Nessie, immediately understanding what was going on, met my eyes before turning to Makenna. "Sweetheart, why don't you tell me about your first day of school yesterday? I haven't really gotten to talk to you since then."

Makenna was an intuitive kid, but she tore her gaze away from Seth to smile at Nessie. "Well," she started, faking a smile. "The first thing we did when we got there was-"

I pulled Seth into the hallway, meeting his eyes. "Do you think you've imprinted on her, Seth?" I asked quietly.

Seth nodded, looking scared. "I do, Dad. I really do. Is that bad?"

"No, no, no, it's not bad," I said gently, my heart racing. "What did you feel, son?"

Seth swallowed, his eyes flickering back towards the living room again unconsciously. "Dad, I wanted to go to her. I wanted to just go to her and hug her, and…and protect _her_. She's like my best friend, so I do that anyway, but this is different. Even right now, I'm fighting every urge I have to go see what she needs. I can feel her stress; I know she's sidetracked. I got this really hot feeling in my chest I'm willing to be whatever she needs me to be, and I'm scared, and…and…" Anxious tears were quickly forming in his dark eyes, and I hugged him to me.

"Seth, it's okay," I whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Everything will be okay, do you understand me? This isn't a bad thing!"

"So you do think I imprinted?" he sniffled, eyes scared. "Dad, she knows already I have a crush on her, I can't go telling her this, too…"

"I do think you imprinted on her, Seth," I agreed softly. "But calm down, because that's far from a bad thing. She isn't going to hate you for this, Seth. Odds are, the feelings will be returned. She's such a sweet girl, and she always wants to be around you. Deep breaths, kid. This is something that could be the best thing that ever happened to you, if you let it. You're lucky enough to experience this amazing phenomenon, so don't be scared by it."

Seth wiped at his eyes in embarrassment. "I guess you're right," he mumbled. "Dad, were you scared when you imprinted on Mom?"

I laughed, smoothing his hair. "I imprinted on your mom the more traditional way; first glance. Imprinting later in life to someone you already knew is a weird gene mutation that has only started occurring recently; I'm not sure what the difference is between the two types. So yeah, she was just a baby. I was terrified. But everything ended up working out, so it was worth it."

Seth nodded, shifting his weight anxiously back towards the living room. "She needs me," he said quietly. "I don't know how I know that, and it's freaky, but she needs me."

I squeezed his shoulder. "Go on, then. We need to tell her, Seth, You know that."

Seth nodded, looking scared. We both walked back into the living room, and he approached Makenna slowly. "Hey, Mickey," he said quietly.

Makenna jumped up. "Hi! What was going on; is everything okay?" She hugged Seth tightly, and I saw him close his eyes as she squeezed him.

"Makenna, you're a smart girl," I said, furrowing my brow. I wasn't really ready to have this conversation with a pair of physically twelve and thirteen year olds, but I had to be the bearer of the news on this one. It wouldn't be fair to make Seth try to explain this himself, when he didn't truly know the meaning of it himself. "You understand that the Quileutes in my pack sometimes imprint, right?"

Makenna nodded with a neutral expression, waiting for me to continue.

"And you know how I'm imprinted to Nessie, and that she's my mate as a result?"

Makenna nodded again, this time with a smile. "You guys are so cute. I think imprinting is romantic."

Seth about died of relief at that statement, and I saw his posture slump a bit from how he'd been rigidly holding it.

"It _is_ romantic," I enthused. "It's beautiful, and it can mean a lifelong commitment to someone who will be everything from your best friend to the love of your life in the end."

Makenna got a faraway look in her eye, tilting her head at me. "Seth imprinted on me, didn't he?" she said matter-of-factly.

Seth immediately looked terrified again. "I'm sorry, Mickey, really; I couldn't help it, and I know it's weird-"

Makenna hugged Seth gently, stopping his protests. "It's not weird, Seth. I promise." She chuckled a bit. "Calm down, your heart is racing. You got that worked up to tell me that?"

Seth looked dumbstruck. "Yeah! I mean…it's not exactly something you can just discuss casually…"

Makenna shrugged. "Why not? I mean, I assumed it had happened months ago, when I found out you liked me. You're cute, Seth. And you mean more to me than any person I've ever met. If anything comes out of that when we're older, then so be it, for now…" She hugged him again. "You're my best friend, and I love you. Now. Wanna come help me pick flowers for my mom's hair wreath I'm making?"

Seth immediately nodded. "Sure. Sure, I'll go."

I smiled to myself, then met Nessie's eyes and shook my head. My son was going to pick flowers. _Willingly_.

Nessie's grin that mirrored my own only said one thing, really.

_And so it starts._


	3. Chapter 3: Breaking and Entering

_A/N: Hello, everyone! As promised, here's the third chapter! 3 Enjoy, and don't forget to favorite, follow, and review if you feel I deserve it! :) _

**CHAPTER THREE: BREAKING AND ENTERING**

_Seth Masen's POV_

_ 'Seth! Seth, help me!'_

_'Makenna?'_

_ 'Please, Seth! I need you!'_

_ 'Mickey, what's wrong?'_

_ 'Seth! Please-' _

I was filled with a sense of gut wrenching terror, but it wasn't my own. It was coming from Mickey.

_'Seth…'_

I sat straight up in bed. My sheets were soaked, and for one terrifying moment, I thought I had wet the bed. But it was just sweat, which was still dripping down my back and into my eyes. Just a bad dream. It was just a bad dream. But that feeling of terror wasn't leaving me. I still had an overwhelming bad feeling, like something was getting ready to happen. Something not good.

I tried to lie back down, but the panicky sensation just got stronger. Makenna's face kept popping into my head from behind my closed lids. I sat up, rubbing my head. Dad had told me that imprinting did some freaky stuff to you. I thought back, trying to remember anything that sounded like what I was experiencing. It took me a minute, but I finally recalled one of the first conversations we'd had. He'd been telling me that when your imprintee was in danger, you'd get some sort of signal from her body to protect her, whether she was conscious she was in danger or not.

Was Mickey in danger? Or was I being paranoid? I decided to play it safe, and I jumped up and walked into my parents' room, where they were sleeping. Dad was snoring lightly, and I walked up and touched his arm.

At my touch he jumped, immediately awake. "Seth? What's going on?"

"Dad, I gotta go check on Mickey. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Did you feel something, Seth?"

"It's probably nothing. I just need to go check on her."

"If you need me too, I'll go with you," Dad said, pulling back the covers.

"I got this, Dad. Be back soon, kay?"

"Kay. Go straight there, Seth. Run."

"I _know_, Dad." The feeling was only getting stronger, and I needed to get to the Cullens' house quick.

"Go ahead."

I took off running outside, sprinting as fast as I could. Arms pumping, I jumped the river and cleared the trees. I yanked open the front door and ran up the stairs to the third floor where Makenna slept. I opened her door, and the mass of blankets in the queen size bed stirred. "Seth?" Makenna whispered.

"Mickey, are you okay?"

"Uh…yeah. You just woke me up."

"Oh." I felt like an idiot. "Um…sorry. I thought…never mind. I'll…go." I turned for the door, but the feeling in the pit of my stomach flared, and it felt like a fist was clenching it. It hurt. Bad.

A gasp of sickening pain came through my lips, and I grasped the doorframe to steady myself.

"Seth? You okay?"

"Yeah," I said, teeth clenched. There was no point in worrying her.

"I'll go get Mom," Makenna said worriedly.

"I'll be fine, Mickey. Thanks anyway." I turned to go again, and the pain just got worse. I slid down the wall in exhaustion, putting my head in my hands.

"Seriously, Seth, I'm getting mom." Makenna stood up, and we both heard the creak of the closet door at once.

Two people, a girl and a boy, stepped out and grinned at us. "I'm sorry, but you won't be getting anyone," the girl said.

I felt the worst pain ever, all over my body, and we screamed and screamed.

_Jacob's POV_

I didn't go back to sleep once Seth left. I lay staring at the ceiling, listening for the sound of the front door opening to signal his return. If it were up to me, I wouldn't let him cross a quarter mile to the Cullens' house by himself, but the fact that he had the mental capacity of a high school valedictorian and the muscles to outrun and overpower any human who tried crap with him was against me.

Just when I was starting to doze off without meaning to, I heard the worst sound a parent could hear.

You know your child's scream. You know if it's a scream in play, a scream of exhilaration, or another good kind of scream. But you also know if it's a scream of fear or pain. And when I heard Seth's scream, mingled with Makenna's, I knew he wasn't screaming just for kicks.

Nessie awoke with a start, but by that time I was headed out the front door. I came back just long enough to grab her arm and jerk her, half asleep and in her little silk nightgown, out the door with me.

"Is that Seth?" Nessie asked frantically as I ripped into a wolf and knelt to let her on my back.

I didn't bother trying to answer her question. She knew as well as I did.

I bulldozed my way through the narrow front door of the Cullens' house, bounding noisily up the stairs and making a turn into the room that had at one point been Edward's. It was Makenna's now, and it was more crowded than it had ever been. I skidded into the room, and was awarded by Emmett's arm flying out and catching me in the neck, clotheslining me.

With a sort of sick horror, I realized why he'd done it. All the Cullens were standing stock still, dressed mostly in pajamas; Rosalie looking like she was wearing only a bath robe, (um…ew?), and Jasper and Emmett were shirtless. But that's not what attracted my attention.

Jane and Alec. The witch twins.

They were holding Seth and Makenna against their chests, knives to their throats. The look of terror in the kids' eyes was indescribable. "Dad!" Seth screamed. Jane gripped him tighter, pressing the knife slightly against his throat.

He shut up quickly.

"No! Let them go!" Nessie screamed, lurching off of my back and making a run for them.

Bella reached out and snatched her by her wrist, pulling her back into the safety of her tight embrace. "Stop. If we move, they'll kill them," she breathed.

"It's so nice to see you again, Bella," Jane grinned, flashing white teeth at her.

Bella gritted her own, and I heard a low growl die in her throat.

"We killed your sick little asses," Emmett snarled quietly. "I saw Carlisle and Esme do it."

"Yes, well, you can thank your little guard dog for that, you dumb oaf. Sweet little naïve Jacob thought it would be proper to bury us. News flash, moron! We're vampires! We just put ourselves back together!"

My stomach plummeted. I _had_ buried them. They had just looked so pitiful and young…

"You buried them?" Edward hissed through his teeth.

I looked at him in terror, dipping my head slightly.

"I'm sorry we weren't kind enough to repay you," Alec sneered. "It wasn't some random newborn who killed your precious little daddy, just so you know."

I whined in pain at his words. _They'd_ killed my dad. Then I got pissed as the words really registered. _They'd killed my dad_!

"Jacob," Edward cautioned. "They're baiting you. You'll get your revenge. Just stay calm for the moment."

I felt the customary _pop_ in my head that signaled another wolf from my pack's presence. It sounded twice, and Leah's voice was frantic in my thoughts. _Jake, are you okay? I got a feeling that you needed help…_

_ And she dragged me along with her, _Seth said in irritation. _Jake, just tell her you're fine so I can go back to sleep. _

I remembered with a jolt of hope that Leah had imprinted on me. She _would_ feel it when I was in danger.

_Okay, guys, I really need your help, _I said quickly, glancing at my frantic son. _Remember that war a couple years ago? Long story short, two of the vamps are still alive. They've broken into the Cullens' house and they have Seth and Makenna held captive with knives against their throats. Get over here, pronto! _

_ Gotcha, Jake. Hear you loud and clear. Where approximately are you at in the Cullens' house?_ Seth asked.

_I'm in Edward's old room. Its Makenna's now,_ I said quickly.

_ No idea where that's at, Jacob. Sorry,_ Leah said.

Edward was listening to my mental conversation and glanced meaningfully at the savannah looking tree outside the window, then at the lion on the Cullen crest picture on the wall. I got it immediately. That had been my favorite movie as a kid!

_There's a tree right outside the room that looks like that really famous one in _Lion King. _You know, the big one?_

_ We don't all sit around watching eight year old movies, Jacob! _Leah snapped.

I almost sighed in exasperation. _It's the only room with two glass walls. Think you can handle that?_

_ Glass walls. Got it. Why couldn't you have said that to begin with? Be there in five. Keep em talking till we get there._

_ Kay. Thanks, guys, _I said in relief.

_No prob, Jake,_ Seth replied. _And _I _knew what tree you were talking about._

_ Hurry, Seth._

_ Hurrying._

Edward met my eyes and let out his breath slightly in relief. "Jane, is there anything else we can offer you besides these children? Money? Fresh clothing? A car?"

"We don't want your money, Edward. And cars are overrated. I wouldn't mind some fresh clothing, but after we kill the children, we'll probably just steal some from you anyway."

"No! Don't kill them. Kill me!" Rosalie cried, face twisting in anguish.

"We might just end up doing that, as well," Alec said thoughtfully.

"What makes you think that the two of you can overpower all of us?" Nessie hissed.

Jane pressed the knife against Seth's throat until a thin ribbon of blood dribbled down his neck. "Because you wouldn't dare make a move while we have your kids here like this."

"Nessie! Stop antagonizing them!" Jasper hissed.

Then Jane did something that really pissed me off. She calmly swept her finger across Seth's neck and caught the blood. Then she _licked her finger_.

"That had an interesting taste," she whispered, almost cooed. "He truly is one of a kind. The newest type of hybrid."

"Jacob," Edward snapped, breaking into my shaking red tinged fury. "Calm."

I closed my eyes for a second, trying to register where Seth and Leah were. According to their thoughts, they were about two minutes away. _We're running as fast as we can, Jake, _Leah moaned.

Makenna was paralyzed with fear. "Mom," she whispered hoarsely, and Alec growled at her.

"Stay calm, sweetheart," Rosalie murmured, face pained. She tightened her bathrobe around herself, cringing away from Alec's unwavering gaze.

"Please," Esme said in agony. "Leave us and go in peace."

Alec laughed loudly, making me jump at the sound. "It's not so fun being on the opposite end of the table, is it Esme? Trust me, you and Carlisle will be the first ones we go after. We haven't forgotten who killed us."

"You were after our family," Esme whispered, shaking slightly. "I couldn't let you have Seth Masen."

"Well, well, we have him now, don't we? And we also have this other little child! One of Joham's, I assume. You! Is Joham your father?" Jane snapped.

Makenna was shaking, but managed to keep her voice steady as she pointed to Emmett. "_He's_ my father," she said firmly.

Jane rolled her eyes. "Your biological father, you insolent fool. Surely you are not so unintelligent."

"I never knew his name."

"Don't lie to us, child!" Alec snarled, pressing the blade tighter against her skin. She cried out in pain, instinctively trying to twist away from him.

He grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her tighter against his body, reducing her to sobs.

"She is Joham's child," Carlisle said quickly. "She was very young when she came here. She doesn't remember anything about him, other than what we've told her. The name has never come up."

"Joham was not supposed to create any more hybrids," Alec said grimly. "Once we are done here, we will have to take care of him and his other children."

"I love how you two dumb ass thirteen year olds stand there acting like you own the whole damn world. Look around you. You're the last two! Everyone else is gone!"

"We will recreate our empire," Jane said calmly. "We will teach the vampires that we are not to be tampered with. We will recruit new members. Starting with the dog." She looked at me. "If we had many his size, we could strike fear into the hearts of vampires everywhere."

"No one will be scared of you, even if you get a couple shape shifters," Alice scoffed. She was holding Hayden tightly against her chest, not willing to let him join in the mess. He was asleep in her arms.

"Really?" Jane asked.

Alice shrieked out in pain, and Bella was immediately shielding her.

"Drop your shield or we kill them both this second." Jane's voice was deathly calm. "And then I'll go after the toddler. I do have a soft spot for little ones. Maybe I'll just take him with me and raise him as my own."

I heard Seth in my head. _Hey Jake, I see the _Lion King _tree_! he crowed.

Approximately five seconds later, there was a deafening shattering sound, and the two wolves were in the room. Edward used the distraction to his advantage, flitting forward faster than I could follow, grabbing the kids, one in each arm, and high tailing it downstairs. Jane and Alec tried to follow, but they didn't make it far. Seth and Leah were on top of them, ripping and tearing so brutally that even _I_ winced.

It was over quickly.

I heard Edward soothing a crying Makenna downstairs. "It's okay, love, its okay. They won't hurt you now. That's right, calm yourself. They can't hurt you now."

No one said anything as we looked at the large wolves, who were gazing back coolly. The trunk of the tree filled the room. _'They knocked the damn thing down,' _I thought in amazement. That was _one_ way to do it, I guess.

Carlisle spoke up. "Seth, Leah, Jasper, can you help me grab these pieces and get them out in the woods to burn?" he asked, as casually as if he'd asked, 'Can you help me with the dishes?'

Seth and Leah dipped their heads in a nod, and Jasper began picking up pieces of body.

"Jacob, Nessie, Rosalie, Emmett, I'd go check on the children. Esme, Bella, Alice, you should join them."

I immediately walked into the large walk in closet and phased. It was then that I realized I had no clothes. As if on cue, Carlisle was handing a change of clothes through the cracked door. He was a life saver, that one.

I quickly dressed, then bounded down the stairs and enveloped Seth in my arms. He'd stayed brave during the actual conflict, but being in his parents' warm embrace after it was all over reduced him to tears. I hadn't seen him truly cry since he was a baby.

"Shh, Buddy, it's okay. We're here," I whispered, rocking him in my arms gently. "We're here, and it's over."

Nessie kissed his sweaty forehead. "You were so brave, baby. So brave." She took his trembling chin and raised it, looking at his neck. "You're bleeding," she said quietly.

Even in his misery, Seth kept twisting around to look at Makenna. He began to shift, obviously getting ready to stand and check on her.

I glanced over my shoulder at Makenna, who was being held in a similar fashion by her own parents. She was shaking, still crying, but she met my eyes and slid down from the couch. She came to stand in front of me, looking solemnly at Seth as she raised a trembling hand and placed it on his head.

The slit on his throat closed, and Makenna silently healed herself as well. "Seth?" she whispered.

He met her gaze, eyes swollen and looking embarrassed. "Yeah?" he asked huskily.

"Coming to check on me was the bravest thing you've ever done." She leaned in and hugged him. When she pulled back to look at him, she smiled shyly and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you."

Seth blinked, touching his cheek in amazement as Makenna walked back over to be fussed over by Rose and Emmett.

Leah came in the front door as a human, hair mussed from just having pulled a shirt over her head, most likely. "The cops will be here in ten minutes," she gasped out, catching her breath. "Embry told me. Someone reported hearing screaming and a crash on your property as they were driving by. Get something figured out and make it sound good."

Esme wasted no time. "I'll go upstairs and scrub the paw prints and dirt off the carpet. Leah, have you informed Carlisle?"

"Yep. Told him first. He's spreading the vamp parts out so they won't reconnect, and he's gonna burn em after the cops clear out."

"Thank you. Alice, come with me, please. The official story is that the tree just fell through the window, nothing more. We were all asleep, and it frightened us."

"Kay. I'm going back out to help spread some Volturi body parts. Be back in five." She ran back out the door, slamming it in her haste.

Alice handed the still sleeping Hayden to Bella, and she and Esme flitted upstairs. Nessie kissed my cheek. "I'm going to help Mamaw and Alice."

I nodded and glanced down at Seth, who was wide awake and looking around. It was two in the morning.

"I can take you home and put you to bed, Seth," I said.

"No way. I want to stay here while the cops come!"

"That sure is your kid, Jacob," Emmett said, kissing Makenna's forehead and standing up. He smoothed back her hair, and then kissed Rosalie. "I am the world's luckiest guy," he said, grinning. "I get the two most beautiful women in the universe for myself. "Now I need to do a good job of looking shaken up for the cops. Think I can handle that…" He did his best _OMG _face. "Yep. Got that handled."

Seth (the big one) came inside, trailed by Carlisle, Jasper, and Leah. He swept his hair out of his face and grinned crookedly at me. I saw the dark circles under his eyes, and I felt bad for him.

"Hey, Jake. Sorry we had to meet under these circumstances. I sure hope I get to sleep in tomorrow. You don't think you'll be having any more vampires breaking into your house tomorrow, do you? And if you do, can you tell them politely to go to hell and close the door in their face? Or at least invite them in for tea for awhile before I have to come help?"

"There will not be any more breaking and entering," Carlisle said. "I can assure you of that." He turned to Emmett. "The pieces are spread over a radius of a quarter mile. "When the police get here, I want you to answer the door. Lead them upstairs and show them the tree through the wall. Explain to them that the roots finally gave out."

Bella shifted the sleeping toddler in her arms. "What about little Hayden? He'll wake up if he's kept in here with the noisy cops."

Carlisle smiled grimly. "That child just slept through screaming and wailing and raised voices. I seriously doubt a couple of policemen are going to wake him up."

Bella ducked her head, embarrassed. "I guess you're right."

"Want me and Leah to split?" Seth asked.

"You can leave if you want to, though you don't have to. I have a feeling no one will be going back to sleep tonight," Carlisle replied.

Seth shrugged, taking a seat. "I can hang around. I might crash on you, though."

Bella sat Hayden in his arms, and Seth held him awkwardly. He struggled to situate him in a comfortable position for both of them, and Bella laughed.

The sound of two cars pulling into the driveway reached my ears, and I turned to Emmett. He took a deep breath and did what a normal human would do, which was wait until they actually_ knocked_ to answer it.

"Forks Police Department! Open up!" came the cry from a male voice.

Emmett waited an appropriate amount of time before opening the door, and when he did, he managed to look surprised. "Can I help you, officers?"

"We had a call that there was screaming and a loud crash at this address," one of the cops said.

"Oh," Emmett nodded, looking completely at ease. "A tree fell through my daughter's room. We have glass walls on two sides of the house, you see, and that tree is so old, the roots finally gave out."

The officer looked at his partner. "Show us," he said doubtfully.

"Of course. Esme? The police are here. They'd like to see the tree that fell through Makenna's wall," Emmett called.

"Bring them up!" Esme trilled.

The cops turned to Makenna. "Did a tree fall into your room, sweetie?"

Makenna nodded, doing a good job of looking fearful. "I was asleep and I heard a loud noise. I started screaming because I was so scared."

The first cop jotted something down on a notepad in his hands. "Let's go, Dennis," he said, nodding to the stairs.

Dennis, his hand on his gun, edged up the stairs behind Emmett. Emmett rolled his eyes and took the steps two at a time to show them he wasn't going to pull a revolver on them or anything.

While the cops were upstairs, I turned to Seth. "Thanks again, man. I know its late, but-" I was interrupted by a snore. Hayden still cradled in his arms, Seth had laid his chin on his chest and fallen asleep.

"I should kick him," Rosalie commented.

"Rose, don't," Bella said. "Seth's exhausted. And you'd just wake Hayden too. He saved your life, and Makenna's as well."

I looked over at Rosalie in disgust at her ungratefulness. "I should throw you through that wall for even joking about kicking him. Your ass would've been dead if Seth hadn't showed up, you spoiled leech!"

That phased even Rosalie's thick blonde skull. She blinked at me, speechless.

"Jake, Jake, back off," Nessie said quickly, grabbing my arm and forcing me to sit down. "Do you want the cops to hear you? Calm down."

Carlisle's lips pursed in anger at my outburst. Like Esme had pointed out, I'd been saying some things carelessly here lately. She wasn't the only one who had noticed, either.

I didn't know why, but things were slipping.

I dropped onto the couch beside the sleeping Seth and Hayden, who didn't even budge. Folding my arms, I looked down in embarrassment.

It was silent in the room until the police officers came clomping down the stairs, Emmett gliding noiselessly behind them. The one that wasn't Dennis was talking. "We'll send someone out to get the tree tomorrow, son."

"No, sir, it's okay. We'll take care of it. I was thinking about chopping it up and using it for a couple good bonfires."

"Just be careful," the cop warned. "It's kind of dry…and you do live in the woods."

Emmett glanced at me. "Well, we were actually planning on burning it down on La Push beach. You know, the Indian reservation?"

"Yes, yes," the cop said, ready to leave now that he knew (or at least thought he knew) that our story was true.

"I'd be getting those children to bed," Dennis said, his eyes moving past Hayden, Seth Masen, Makenna, and big Seth. "Those two are so tired that they fell asleep right on the couch."

"We know, sir. As you can probably understand, everyone was asleep when this happened, but it scared us right out of our beds."

Dennis grunted. "Yes, well. We'll leave you to try to go back to sleep now. We're sorry for intruding, but, as officers, we can never be too careful."

The other cop kept looking over at Bella, and finally he spoke. "I-I'm sorry for asking, but are you Chief Swan's kid? He's got some pictures on his bulletin board of his daughter and granddaughter, and I swear the older one looks just like you."

Bella smiled. "Yeah, I'm Charlie's daughter."

The cop grinned at her. "Charlie sure must be proud to have a beautiful daughter like you. Come on, Dennis. Let's leave this family be. If we go soon, we can stop at Starbucks and get us some mochas."

Dennis shook Emmett and Carlisle's hand and nodded at the rest. The two walked out, and we sat in silence as the cars pulled out of the driveway and onto the road.

Emmett immediately turned on me. "Don't insult Rose," he growled softly. "I'm serious, Jacob. I've put up with your little 'slip of the tongues' long enough. If you ever call my wife a leech again, you can be sure it won't end pretty."

"Emmett, I really am sorry," I said. "I just…don't know what's been coming over me."

Emmett glared. "Well you better damn well figure it out. I like you, Jacob, but I'm not going to sit back and let you hurt those I love."

"Emmett," Carlisle said quietly. "He apologized. Please come help me finish burning the pieces."

Emmett gave me one last long look before turning and following Carlisle out the door.

Leah gently shook Seth awake. "Seth. We need to go home," she said. "It's late. You need your sleep."

"Go on ahead, Leah, I'll crash here," Seth mumbled, turning his face away, eyes still closed.

"Come on, Seth. It's not good for you to sleep on a couch. You can go home and get in your bed."

Seth groaned, opening his eyes. He passed the sleeping Hayden to Alice. "Why you gotta be such a Debbie Downer, Leah? I just saved a house full of vampires. I think I deserve the right to sleep where I want."

"Do you want me to call Mom and tell her you won't come back with me?"

"I hate you, Leah."

"What are big sisters for?"

Seth stood, rubbing his eyes. "Night, Jake," he mumbled, giving Emmett a one armed hug.

Bella laughed, spinning him to face me instead. "Oh. Night, Jake," he repeated. "Thought something was off."

"You're dog tired, Seth. Go home and rest. Just humor Leah by listening to her, okay?" I asked.

"Whatever. Night, guys. See ya soon."

He was answered with a chorus of "Nights" and "Goodnights" and See ya's".

Leah waved awkwardly at us before disappearing out the door.


	4. Chapter 4: Not Right

_A/N: Hello, everyone, here's the next chapter. :) I hope you enjoy it, and thanks again for everything! 3 xxx Much love! (Have a super happy 2014, by the way! :D )_

**CHAPTER FOUR: NOT RIGHT**

_Nessie's POV_

Jake gave up on high school. He decided that going back to 'prison' (as he called it) with a bunch of teenagers wasn't his thing. Maybe he just didn't want to go back and face the perverted kid who'd said crap about me. Either way, Mamaw and Papaw were grateful for his help with Hayden while the rest of us were at school. Papaw paid the parents of the kid Jacob had gotten into a fight with a handsome sum so that they wouldn't sue us, and that was the end of _that_ situation. Mom quit too, just so she wouldn't have to face Mr. Newton. She figured that he'd absolutely recognize her, and that wasn't a situation she wanted to have to explain. Between the two of them, they gave Mamaw and Papaw a chance to be alone, which was a good thing. They didn't get _nearly_ enough time alone together.

The rest of us, however, finished out the school year. To be honest, I'd had enough too. I was more than ready to be done, but Dad made me finish since it had been my idea in the first place to enroll. It was sort of his way of getting revenge on me, I guessed. Sometimes, I _really_ hated myself for my stupid ideas. If one more gross, sexual harassing kid who was eager to tell me about his drug use and oddly placed piercings hit on me, I was going to be doing some hitting back. And possibly some setting my wolf husband on them.

* * *

It was the first morning after school had let out. I woke up with Jake's arms around me, and he was snoring lightly in my ear.

It made me happy to know that he wasn't stressed. The night before, he and Emmett had gotten in a huge fight. No punches were thrown, thank God. But it had been over the same thing that Jacob was continuously getting himself into hot water over. Name calling. The last couple months had been rough. Jacob didn't exactly like to hang around my family anymore. The change had been sudden and surprising, and he'd said that he didn't trust them; that it wasn't right for a shape shifter to be associated with 'leeches.' His eyes had looked wild and unsafe when he said it, so I hadn't pushed the issue.

That, coupled with the names he was calling everyone, was pissing my family off. He'd called Rose a bloodsucking bitch the night before, and I'd thought that Emmett was going to get up and kill him right there.

Listening to him sleep now, knowing that whatever strange phase that he was going through wasn't affecting him in his sleep, made me smile. Right now, he was still my Jacob. Right now, he was still the Jacob that I'd known my entire life; not the mythical Jacob that I'd heard tales about existing before my birth.

I felt it when he woke up, and I rolled over in his embrace to kiss him good morning. When his eyes fluttered open, the reaction I got was _not_ what I was expecting.

* * *

_Jacob's POV_

I groaned, not wanting to wake up. '_Damn my small bladder,'_ I thought miserably. I tried to nestle my face into my pillow for a few more minutes before I had to get up and leave the warmth of my bed, but it wasn't happening. I opened my eyes sleepily, feeling a yawn coming on.

There was a vampire in my bed with me.

I immediately jumped up, a growl rising in my throat. I backed against the opposite wall, ready to turn into a wolf if necessary.

Okay, scratch that. She wasn't a vampire. I heard her heart beating. But she was clearly more than human. A half breed, then. Half vampire. Just as dangerous.

She was watching me with a mixture of surprise and shock. "Jake? What's wrong?" she whispered.

"How the hell do you know my name, leech?" I hissed, and I was suddenly aware that I was in my underwear. My _briefs_, at that. "What's going on?" I growled. "Who are you? I'm serious, parasite, don't lie to me. I'll kill you now. I swear I will."

"Jake?" the half breed whimpered. "This isn't funny. Knock it off."

"Knock _what_ off?" I roared, fists clenched.

The girl cried out a bit in shock, rising from the bed and slowly backing away. "Jake, its okay. I'm going to get Papaw, alright?"

She was wearing a little silk nightgown, and it quivered as she shook. I snarled. "You're not going anywhere. Put some damn clothes on and explain to me what you're doing here before I _rip you apart_!"

She took a deep breath. "I have a change of clothes in the bathroom, okay? I'll be right back."

I watched her walk down the hallway suspiciously, and the minute the door clicked shut, I looked around. This wasn't my house. I didn't know _where_ I was. Sam had told me about the succubus. She'd lured me here. That's what had happened, I was sure of it. The half vampire had used her mind powers to seduce me into her home. I hoped to God that nothing had happened between us. I couldn't remember. I couldn't remember _anything_.

* * *

_Nessie's POV_

The minute I got into the bathroom, I wrenched open the small window and made a run for it. Jake had snapped. I didn't know what had caused it, but it scared me to death.

I took off for my parents' house, breathing hard. "Dad!" I cried frantically, pounding on the front door of their cottage. "Mom! It's Jacob!"

My parents were immediately standing in the doorway, looking worried. "What's wrong, Nessie? Has he been hurt? Is he alright?" Dad asked.

"I don't think he's alright. He woke up this morning…he doesn't recognize me at all! He called me a leech, and he meant it. I had to sneak out the bathroom window to even escape him! This…this just isn't _Jacob_!"

"You're sure that he's not messing with you?" My mom asked in a flat voice.

"Mom, I'm sure. I think he's lost his mind. It's scaring me. Please come help!"

"Is Seth still in the house?" Dad asked urgently.

My stomach clenched. I was a horrible mother. In my rush to get help, I'd completely forgotten about my sleeping son. I wanted to believe that Jacob wouldn't hurt him, but in his current condition, there was no telling.

"Oh God! Daddy, Seth is still asleep! We have to go get him!" I turned to run back towards my house, but Mom grabbed my arm. "Let Edward call Carlisle," she said quietly.

Dad pulled out his cell phone and called Papaw. He trilled something so fast I couldn't make out what he'd said, and hung up.

Within seconds, Papaw, Emmett, and Jasper were standing in the doorway. We crept stealthily around to the front door.

"Something is not right with Jacob," Dad hissed. "He may react violently if he sees us. Do _not_ let him see us."

Emmett nodded. "Do you know what's going on with him, Edward? Is this why he's been acting all crazy and paranoid here lately?"

"I can only assume that something's wrong with his mind," Dad replied. "I don't know what, or even why. But we have to find out. We're not going to lose Jacob. He's…he's family."

I felt my eyes stinging. I would always love Jacob, whether he remembered me or not. I'd have to make him remember. I _would_ make him remember. He'd imprinted on me, there had to be some way to get him to remember his own imprint!

"Bella, I need you to get into Seth's room and get him out of the house without Jacob finding out," Dad said. "Be careful."

Mom disappeared around the side of the house determinedly, not saying a word.

"This is going to be scary, Ness, but I need you to go back inside the bathroom and open the door. Hold Jacob for us."

I nodded, my heart fluttering. "The Jake I love is still in there somewhere," I said. "He's been kinder to me than anyone in my life. I just have to get him to remember."

I climbed back into the bathroom just in time to see Jacob jiggling the doorknob. "Hurry up, leech! I don't have all day!" he demanded.

I took a deep breath and opened the door, forcing myself to meet his eyes. Those same large brown eyes that were glaring at me with hatred now had been through so much with me. The first time we'd kissed. Our marriage. Our honeymoon. The birth of Seth Masen. Jake loved me. Jake _loved_ me. That's what I had to remember. This wasn't him speaking.

"Jacob, can we please sit and talk? I'm afraid I don't have my clothes in here," I said. I stretched my hand out to him without thinking, and he cringed away in disgust.

"Do _not_ touch me," he growled. "I should kill you right now for even thinking you have the right to touch me."

"Jacob, we're married," I whispered.

"I would never marry a bloodsucking parasite!"

I pointed to the wedding band on his finger. "Please let me explain. I have pictures!"

I took a major risk by slipping past him into the hallway. There was only enough room for me to squeeze by, and my body had contact with his for a long second. It wasn't easy and natural as it usually was. This time, he stiffened and smashed himself against the opposite wall.

I walked into the living room and took a picture of us together off of the mantle. "Do you see this? This is us! I love you, Jake!"

Jacob grabbed the photo out of my hands, looking at it wildly. I saw a trace of fear and confusion in his expression. "This has to be photo shopped. You're a vampire! Or at least part vampire. Anything that has an ounce of any vampire gene in it is trash in my eyes."

"I'm not trash in your eyes," I whispered, eyes filling with tears. This wasn't Jake talking. I had to keep repeating that to myself. It wasn't Jake talking, but it still hurt.

Jacob glared back at me without an ounce of sympathy. "You're a leech. You're trash. And I have to kill you."

He brought his fist back like he was going to hit me, and I closed my eyes against the oncoming blow.

It never came.

When I opened my eyes, Dad and Papaw were supporting a semi-conscious Jacob. I saw a syringe in Papaw's hand.

Dad slowly lowered Jake to the floor, and I saw his eyes roll back in his head before he completely went unconscious.

"What did you do to him?" I whispered, crouching beside his motionless body.

Papaw looked embarrassed. "I used a tranquilizer."

"A tranquilizer?" I asked in confusion.

"Err…like the kind used on animals…at the zoo."

I looked at him in incredulity, but kept my mouth shut. Apparently he knew what he was doing, because Jacob looked like he'd be out for a while.

"Where's Seth?" I asked, placing my hand on Jake's limp one.

"Bella has him back at our cottage. She'll be taking him to Charlie's house soon."

"Is he alright?"

"Yes. Bella told him that Jacob was sick. Technically, she's not lying."

Jacob looked so pitiful lying on the floor that I burst into tears. "Please fix him, Papaw. I don't know what's wrong with him, but I want it gone. I want to be able to hold him in my arms and not have him try to kill me! If he realized what he was doing, he would be horrified!"

"We'll do our best, Nessie," Papaw said, smoothing my hair. He motioned for Emmett to pick Jake up off the ground.

I kissed Jacob's cool cheek lightly. "Please get better," I half sobbed. "I love you. I love you so much."

* * *

_Carlisle's POV_

I studied Jacob's CAT scan intently, unable to find anything abnormal. I had nothing to go on, nothing whatsoever. There was no swelling of his brain, or any fluid around it. His brain waves looked perfectly fine. But I refused to give up. I couldn't just go tell my granddaughter that Jacob had lost his mind. Surely there was an explanation _why_. I looked down at Jacob wearily. His lips were parted slightly, and his eyelids quivered from a dream.

"What's going on in that head of yours?" I whispered, frustrated. In all my years as a doctor, there had never been a time when it appeared that something was happening for absolutely no reason. There was always a give away or hint, no matter how small. But Jacob looked fine. _Healthy_, even. Had he really become certifiably insane? Surely not so quickly. It had only been a couple months that he'd even been acting strangely. Just since a little after Hayden had been born, anyway. And even then, it was in spurts. It had started out with the accidental name calling. I figured it was just that old habits were hard to break, but then he'd pulled away from us completely. He'd said it wasn't right for shape shifters to be around vampires. That had certainly never stopped him before!

And then this morning, he'd waken up completely unaware of who Nessie was. He'd been hostile and ready to kill her. Ready to kill his own imprint! It wasn't right. It definitely wasn't right.

* * *

_Alice's POV_

I rubbed Nessie's back soothingly in small circles. I didn't know how to comfort her. How was I supposed to comfort someone whose husband had just boarded the loony train? Say _'I'm Sorry'_? Doubt she wanted to hear that. What about '_I'm sure he'll be okay'_? She probably didn't want to hear that either. And besides, I didn't even know if it was true.

Hayden walked up to Nessie and put a hand on her knee. "Are you okay?" he whispered.

Nessie looked up in surprise. Hayden rarely talked. He was a bit like _she'd_ been as a child, in that respect. "Um…yeah. Thanks, baby," she said quietly. She ruffled his hair with a forced smile.

"I can make you forget," Hayden said quietly.

"Excuse me?" Nessie asked, looking over at me. Everyone's heads rose to stare at my son.

"I can make you forget. If it helps, I mean. I can make you forget the hurt."

Nessie's eyes widened as she pulled him onto her lap. "What do you mean you can make me forget, Hayden?"

"I can do that." He shrugged. "Make people forget stuff. I've…I've been trying it."

It felt like a fist had closed on my stomach. Was Hayden displaying powers? Could he really take memory away? And…if he could…I barely dared to get my hopes up.

I saw that Nessie was working on keeping her expression neutral. "Who have you been trying this on, Hayden?"

Hayden's expression turned frightened and he climbed down from her lap. "I can't tell you. You would be mad."

I saw a wild frenzy of hope in Nessie's eyes. "I won't be mad, Hayden! Who have you been trying it on?"

Hayden burst into tears. "I…I didn't mean to go so far. I was really little and I didn't know any better! I made it go too far, and it's my fault! Just let me take the hurt away from you!"

I took his hands gently. "Hayden. No one's mad. But we really need to know. Did you make Jacob lose his memory?"

"I…I was really little! I was a baby! I didn't know any better, I promise!"

"So you _did_?"

Hayden bowed his head in shame and nodded, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Carlisle!" I said loudly. "Get down here!" It looked like we had our answer.

* * *

_Jacob's POV_

Everything was muddled. Quick flashes of peoples' faces invaded my mind, and it made my head hurt to try to remember who they were. It was like seeing someone at the store who you swore you used to know, but couldn't remember where from. A red headed girl came into my mind. Something inside me stirred. We'd been close. Was she my sister? No, this was more than sisterly love. She was smiling, and her curly bronze hair was shiny and long. I felt the urge to protect her, even though I had no idea who she was.

Then there was a blonde girl. I could remember not particularly liking her, but putting up with her because I knew she wasn't really bad; just annoying. I saw a girl with long brown hair. She was smiling as well. There was something with this one, too. Something different. Not like what I'd felt for the red head, though. This wasn't love, not in _that_ sense at least. A young boy's face appeared in my thoughts. He looked a little like me. Same dark hair and skin. My eyes. Did I have a brother? Was he my brother? Surely he was too young to be my brother. I felt protective of this one, too. Like if anything tried to hurt him, I would be there to stop it.

My head was spinning with all the faces that were around me. I felt like I'd seen them all before, but yet I couldn't remember where from, or even their names. I focused back on the red head's image in my head, thinking hard. I ignored the ache in my temple. Yes, we'd definitely been close. We'd been in love. Her name, what was her name? She went by a nickname. I automatically knew that. Her mother had hated the nickname at first. But it had grown on her. It started with an 'N'…Nessie! That was Nessie! My wife!

I felt immensely relieved at being able to remember, and I went to the blonde. This one definitely annoyed me. I felt the stirrings of it just trying to remember her face. We'd been at each other's throats for years…and her family had nicknamed her after a flower. Lily? No way. Violet? No…Rose! Rosalie! I was remembering Rosalie, and she was married to…to Emmett! They had a daughter…but it wasn't their own daughter. She was adopted. Her name was…damn it, what was her _name_? I knew it started with an 'M'…Makayla, Mackenzie…Makenna! Rosalie and Emmett had a daughter named Makenna!

I excitedly moved on to the next face in my head. The smiling brunette. I'd known her for ages. Her name meant beautiful. I'd always thought that was funny… Beautiful Swan was the literal translation. This one came easier. Bella! How could I forget Bella? But Bella had married…Edwin? No…Edward. Bella had married Edward. Nessie was their daughter.

And finally came the boy. The young boy. He was named after one of my friends, and his grandfather. Nessie had wanted it that way. She'd wanted to bring the shape shifters and the…the vampires together. My family was vampires? Never mind. Didn't matter. His name was Seth. Seth Masen Black. My son. Nessie and I had a son.

Then, like a dam inside me had broken, all the names came back, along with the memories. I knew everything.

Edward, Bella, Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, Jasper, Nessie, Makenna, Hayden, Seth…

My eyes opened in surprise.

* * *

_Nessie's POV_

"He looks so pitiful," I whispered, holding Jacob's hand. "Hayden, sweetie, are you sure you gave back his memories?"

"I…I think so. I've never done it before. He's the only one I have done it to."

I moaned. "I just wish-"

Jacob's eyes flung open, and he was breathing heavily.

Papaw stepped forward. "Jacob? Do you remember me?"

Jacob groaned, forehead crinkled against the bright light in his face. "Course I remember you."

Papaw didn't look convinced. "What's my name, Jacob?"

"Your name's Carlisle and you stabbed me in the ass with a needle. Can you turn that light off, please? I have a massive headache."

Papaw looked amazed as he clicked the medical light in Jacob's face off. "I _am_ sorry about the needle. Can you allow me to explain?"

"No need, Doc. I think I got it all back now. I was acting like an ass to Nessie and I didn't remember you guys. So you knocked me out, and now I remember for some reason."

"Do you know why you didn't remember us, Jacob?" Papaw asked.

"Nope. Looking back on it, I guess it's kinda freaky. It's probably been going on for a while now, what with all the mean names and stuff. It just got bad all of a sudden. Amnesia, maybe?"

"Or your nephew," Papaw shrugged, smiling slightly. "Ever since he's been born, he's been…experimenting with his talent that we just found out about today. You just happened to be the lucky guinea pig."

"Wait a minute. Hayden caused all this?" Jacob asked in disbelief. "He can take memory away?"

"Slowly. And not all of it, just pieces. But it's a start, and I'm going to work with him on it when he gets older. If misused, it could be a very dangerous gift indeed. We found that out this morning."

"About this morning…" I said, sitting up and pulling the heart monitors off my chest. I pulled Nessie into my arms and hugged her close to me. "I love you so much. And you were so brave to stay there with me when I didn't remember you. I could've killed you, Nessie. If I had killed you, I'd have no reason to live. I'd have killed myself to be with you. God, I'm sorry, Nessie. I'm _so_ sorry."

"You didn't scare me," Nessie said offhandedly, but she was shaking.

"I promise you that I will never hurt you, my angel," I whispered. "I _promise_."

"All right, guys, get a room," Emmett complained, but I saw his lip quivering in real emotion. Was Emmett going to cry? He was!

"Hey, Lover Boy, is that lower lip trembling?" I teased.

Emmett bit it hard, scowling at me. "You scared me, man," he growled, voice gruff with emotion. "Can't I be happy you're okay?"

I laughed. Trust me; he never lived that one down.


	5. Chapter 5: Positive

_A/N:_ _Sorry for the delay in uploading, guys. I didn't have access to my computer. :/ I hope this chapter makes up for it! Also, I apologize for the cliff hanger :P I didn't realize that's where I had the chapter split! I love you all! Don't forget to favorite, follow, or review if you haven't already (and you think I deserve it, of course.) xxxx ~TranquilGuardian_

**CHAPTER FIVE: POSITIVE**

Over the next few weeks I recovered in full from Hayden's little power experimentation, but that didn't mean I felt any less terrible about the way I'd treated my family all those months. They'd assured me that it was alright; that it hadn't been my fault, but I couldn't easily let go everything I'd said to them. I couldn't easily let go the fact that I'd tried to kill my wife. It just wasn't something that you could get over and write off to the fact that you weren't yourself, you know?

Hayden was sternly explained to that he wasn't to experiment with his newfound powers on anyone, and that the consequences could be very serious if he did. The poor kid had whelped up in tears, apologizing profusely, and Carlisle had softened against his will. No one could ever successfully reprimand Hayden; his angelic face and soft heart made it nearly impossible.

* * *

Nessie began to take ill, and no one could fathom why. For two days straight she was vomiting and feeling sick; everyone assumed she'd contracted a stomach bug or something. But she recovered as quickly as she'd fallen ill, which was a bit strange. On a whim, she told me she was going to take a drug store pregnancy test just to be triple sure that this wasn't another 'baby on board' situation. We'd taken some extra…erm…_measures_ to avoid it happening again so soon, but Nessie figured it was worth checking.

We weren't wrong in checking.

* * *

"Oh my God," Nessie whispered, grasping my hand tightly as we bent over the test strip on the sink. "It's positive."

"It _is_ positive," I said in disbelief.

"Are you sure it isn't a trick of the light?" Nessie asked. "I've heard that that's possible."

"Ness, that's _positive._ There's no trick of the light about it."

"Oh, Lord. Jake, I never thought in a million years that it would happen so soon…"

"Do we still have everything from Seth?" I whispered.

"Put up somewhere. That damn strip really says positive, doesn't it?" Nessie asked.

"It's really, _really_ positive." I felt like I was going to faint.

"Well then," she replied abruptly, standing with a smile. "I guess we might as well tell everyone our little surprise!"

"I'll catch up," I said, knees weak. "Go on."

"All right." She kissed my head. "Come on! This is an adventure!" She laughed, running out.

"Adventure," I repeated numbly.

I was looking at the strip that was Nessie's pregnancy test. It really _was_ positive.. Positive equaled pregnant. I was a father. Again.

* * *

_Nessie's POV_

"Guys! Guys! _GUYS_!" I screamed, busting through the front door of the main house. "You'll never believe it!"

Emmett looked up at me. "OMG, did you gain a pound?" he smirked.

"No! Quit being stupid! Make a good guess!"

"Come on, Ness. I've never been good at the guessing game. Tell me," Emmett said, as a few of the others nodded curiously.

Dad came down the stairs, looking like an old man despite his young looks. "Nessie, are you serious?"

I realized he'd read my mind, and I grinned. "Isn't it great?"

"Isn't _what_ great?" My mom demanded.

I took a deep breath. "I'm going to have another baby!" I squealed.

"Another? Are you sure?" Rose gasped.

"Yep!" I laughed.

"Where's Jake?" Mom asked in shock.

"He's at home…still taking it in. It seemed like a lot to absorb for him. You see, we didn't actually plan this one…Not that we planned the last one either, but I didn't think I'd get pregnant so soon after Seth! Especially with the added precautions." I blushed.

Daddy shook his head weakly. "Another. If you'd told me nine years ago that my daughter was going to have two children with Jacob Black, I'd have never believed it."

Jake walked in the front door, pale but grinning. He came up behind me and kissed my neck. "Have you told them?"

"Speak of the devil and the devil shall appear," Daddy muttered under his breath, and Mom smacked his arm before grinning at Jake.

"Well, Jacob," she said, laughing, "You always were a ladies' man."

"Please, love, if you value my sanity you will not have this conversation."

Mom laughed, kissing his cheek. "It's a fact of life, Edward."

"Not a fact I want to hear about," Daddy retorted.

Jake looked nauseated, and slightly scared.

* * *

_Jacob's POV_

"Subject change, please?" I asked quickly.

"The Gators' game last night was intense," Emmett offered.

"Leah hooked Joseph up with a girl," Mom said.

"Makenna lost the last of her baby teeth," Rosalie threw out.

"How about a decent subject change?" I groaned. "Carlisle, you wanna fire up the old ultra sound thingy and get this show on the road?" I was practically trembling, though I tried to hide it. I felt like a terrible person, but I didn't know if I was ready for another baby. The first had been terrifying enough; I'd never considered two.

"I think that would be a lovely idea," Carlisle said.

Rosalie smiled at Nessie. "No names picked out, I suspect. This being a surprise and all."

"Absolutely no names," Nessie laughed. "But it's Jacob's turn, anyway. I picked last time."

"M-my turn?" I asked. "Nessie, I can't name a baby! I can't even name a pet!"

"Oh, Jacob," Nessie grinned. "Give me a break. You came up with my nickname after all."

"Ness, bad example. You're nicknamed after a mythological sea creature."

"I made that name hot," Nessie laughed. "Ms. Loch Ness Monster should be _glad_ I'm named after her."

"Not that I don't enjoy our conversation, but I'd like to see whether this spawn of Jacob is a boy or a girl," Emmett hinted.

"Spawn?" I asked, wounded. "Love you too, man."

Emmett shrugged.

"We need to get Seth," Nessie said breathlessly. "I want him to see, too."

"I got this. _SETH_!" Emmett screamed.

"Emmett!" Edward winced. "For a vampire yourself, you seem to forget that normal noises seem loud to us. Loud noises are _excruciating_."

"Quit being a sissy. _SETH_!"

Edward slapped a hand over Emmett's mouth. "Bring it down."

Seth jogged down the stairs, presumably from Makenna's room. "What?"

Nessie grinned at him, taking my hand and walking over. "Seth, we have great news."

"They're cutting Emmett's vocal chords?" Seth asked, sarcastically hopeful.

"_They're cutting Emmett's vocal chords_?" Emmett mimicked. "Shut up, kid. This is big."

"I'm having a baby, Seth," Nessie whispered. "You're going to be a big brother!"

Seth's eyes lit up. "You're having a baby?" he repeated. "When?"

"Well, about a month and a half," I said. "We're getting ready to find out whether the baby is a boy or a girl. Do you want to come up with us and see?"

"Yeah! How?"

"We're going to see the baby on an ultra sound machine, from inside of my stomach," Nessie smiled.

"Cool! Let's go see!" Seth smiled.

"Let's go, Carlisle," I laughed, pasting a smile on my face. "Seth's just as anxious as we are."

Carlisle lead us upstairs, and I helped Carlisle roll the big ultra sound screen and the hospital bed out of the closet.

I squeezed Seth's hand as Carlisle put the jelly stuff on Nessie's abdomen. "Are you excited, Seth?"

"Definitely. Will the baby be able to turn into a wolf too?"

"I'm guessing," Carlisle said, as he put the last plug into the monitor. "The child will probably have the same genetic mutations as you, Seth."

Nessie had her arms behind her head. "This is so exciting," she whispered. "Just in time for Christmas."

Carlisle smiled widely. "Jacob, Seth, come look."

I walked over to the monitor, and Seth trailed me nervously.

"Look," Carlisle said softly, pointing.

It was a girl.

The world stopped spinning for a split second, and I imagined a future with a daughter in it. I would be the overprotective dad that stood on the front porch and watched her leave with her date. I would be the one who played Barbies and let her paint my nails for the duration of her short childhood.

"What is it?" Nessie whispered.

"You have a daughter, Ness," I grinned. "It's a little girl."

"I have a _sister_!" Seth screamed. "A _sister_! I gotta go tell Mickey! I gotta go tell everybody!"

"Don't you dare speak a word, Seth," Nessie said firmly. "Your dad and I want to tell them."

"Fine," Seth mumbled, taking off downstairs.

"Has she turned into a wolf?" Nessie asked. "Seth turned into a wolf, remember?"

"She hasn't turned into a wolf yet," Carlisle said. "But that's not unusual. It was simply a coincidence that Seth turned on screen for us last time. A _lucky_ coincidence."

"Have any names thought of, Jake?" Nessie asked.

A thought popped into my head. It was an unpleasant thought, but the name worked. And I kinda owed it to them. They weren't my favorite people, but…

"You know what we have to do, right Ness?" I asked. "I mean, if you want to keep the whole 'uniting the two species' thing."

"What? Sure, I really want to keep uniting the species. But why do you look nauseated?"

"Cause I came up with a name I like," I groaned. "And I'm not happy about it."

"What's the name, Jake? Come on, it can't be that bad."

I mimed gagging. "Rose Leah. Like Rosalie Leah."

Carlisle burst into laughter, and I looked at him with a wounded expression. "No, Jacob, I like the name," he assured me, smiling. "You just don't have to act so disgusted about it!"

I shrugged.

"Jake, that's adorable!" Nessie cooed. "So cute! And I think that they'd be honored to have the baby named after them."

"Really? You're sure?"

I was hesitant. I didn't want to name my baby after two snotty people if they weren't even going to be happy about it.

"I know it. And the name is amazing."

Carlisle took the pad off of Nessie's stomach and handed her a small towel to wipe the excess jelly off of her lower abdomen. He handed her her blue jeans and smiled at us. "I'll go," he whispered, since Nessie's big brown eyes were steadily filling with tears. He kissed her forehead. "I love you, Nessie," he said quietly. "And I'm so happy that you're happy." He started to walk out of the room, but I caught his arm.

"Hey, Carlisle? Do me a favor and don't tell Rosalie what we've chosen. I want to tell her."

"No problem, Jake," he said. He quietly slipped out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Nessie sat up out of the hospital bed, pulling the sheet off of her lower body and shimmying into her jeans. She came to grasp my hand, steadily crying.

"Happy tears, right?" I whispered, pulling her tightly against my chest to kiss her.

She nodded, closing her eyes. I felt the salty taste of her tears on my lips.

"Let's go tell Rosalie," I smiled, squeezing her hand. I kissed her cheek.

Nessie nodded, sniffling. She grinned widely through her tears, and I took my thumb and gently wiped them away. "Please stop crying, babe," I said. "You make_ me _want to cry when you cry. And that's a scary sight."

Nessie giggled. "No it's not," she smiled. "But it's okay. I want to go tell Rose."

She pulled me by my hand out of the room, and up to the third floor. She knocked on Rosalie and Emmett's bedroom door. "Rose? Rose, are you in here?"

"Yeah, Ness! Come in!" Rosalie called.

Nessie opened the door. Rosalie was alone, brushing out her long hair at her mirror. "So?" she asked. "Is it a boy or a girl?"

"It's a girl," Nessie smiled, taking both of Rosalie's hands in her own. "And we have a name. Jake picked it out."

Rosalie groaned. "Jacob picked it out? Great. Lay it on me."

"Well, he chose Rose Leah. Short for Rosalie Leah."

Rosalie went absolutely still. A strange expression crossed her face, and then she enveloped Nessie in her arms. "Oh God, thank you," she sobbed, face pressed against Nessie's shoulder. "Thank you."

"Hey," Nessie said soothingly. "Jake chose it, not me."

Rosalie lifted her head, staring directly into my eyes. "Jacob," she breathed. She slowly stood up, looking at me. "Thank you." And before I knew what was happening, she had her arms wrapped around me in a hug, her face pressed against my chest. I was sure this would be the only time _that_ ever happened. She wasn't exactly _discreet_ about how she disliked my smell.

"This is the nicest thing you've ever done for me," she whispered. "The nicest thing anyone's _ever_ done for me."

I awkwardly patted her back. "It's no problem, Rose," I said quietly. "You're kind of making more of this than there is."

"No," Rosalie disagreed. "No. This is amazing. _Thank_ you, Jacob." She stepped back and looked at me, wiping imaginary tears out of her eyes. "You're not nearly as bad as I thought you were."

"Gee, thanks," I said, stepping back out of hugging range inconspicuously. I didn't know if I could handle another emotional Rosalie moment.

"Have you told the others, yet?" Rosalie asked, smiling warmly at me. _That_ hadn't happened before either.

"We thought that you should be the first to know. We would tell Leah before the others too, but she's not here and she threw her phone against the wall last week when she was pissed."

Rosalie nodded. "Well , that's no reason to postpone telling the family! Come on!" She grabbed Nessie's hand, and I followed in quiet disbelief. Rosalie was being…_nice_. To _me_, of all people.

All of the Cullens were in the living room, smiling at us. "Boy or girl?" Esme asked as Alice nodded vigorously. "Carlisle wouldn't tell us, and we didn't listen in because we knew it was a private moment."

I looked to Nessie, and she nodded. "It's a girl," she said, grinning.

Esme put a hand over her heart. "A little girl," she said. "A little wolf girl."

"Do you have any names on mind?" Edward asked, putting a hand on Nessie's shoulder.

"Jacob chose her name," Rosalie said, looking up at me gratefully. "Would you like to tell them what it is?"

I blushed, looking down at my feet. "Uh…Rose Leah Black."

Everyone looked at me in stunned silence for a moment.

"Jake, that's…beautiful," Bella said. "I mean…I'm surprised that you picked those two names, but…it's really pretty!"

"Thanks," I mumbled, embarrassed.

Jasper walked in from the other room, his cell phone in his hand. "Hey guys?" he asked. "Er…guess who I just got off of the phone with?"


	6. Chapter 6: Family Reunion

_A/N: Sorry for the delay, guys, it's been a rough couple of weeks. Props for sticking around this long. I love you all and hope you enjoy this chapter! 3 ~TranquilGuardian_

**CHAPTER SIX: FAMILY REUNION**

"Hold on a minute, dear," Esme said, still grinning. "Nessie's ultrasound said that the baby is a girl. They named her Rose Leah, after Rosalie and Leah Clearwater. Isn't that adorable?"

"That's an amazing name," Jasper said genuinely. "Congratulations, guys."

Nessie beamed at him. "It was Jake's idea," she said. She stretched up and kissed my cheek, unable to help herself.

I laughed, wrapping an arm around her. I saw that Jasper's face was still extremely conflicted, though, so I nudged him. "Who'd you get off the phone with, Jazz?"

Jasper bit his lower lip absently. He looked down at Makenna, and then to Carlisle. "Well…Nahuel," he said quietly.

The room froze. "As in…" Alice started slowly, confused disbelief coloring her features.

"Makenna's _brother_ Nahuel?" Emmett blurted. His jaw dropped comically, head slightly tilted to one side like a questioning dog.

Jasper ran a hand through his hair. "Yes. Half brother, actually. But thank you, Emmett."

Makenna looked up in honest surprise. "Nahuel? What did he have to say? Is he okay?" Her voice was one of only mild concern. She'd been young when Nahuel had brought her here, begging for us to adopt her. She had little to no attachment to him that I could fathom; I mean, she never really talked about him.

"He's fine," Jasper assured her. "He wishes to see you, though. I told him that I'd leave that decision up to you."

"I-" Makenna broke off, obviously troubled. "I mean…I don't _care_. But he realizes that I don't really have any ties to him, right? That I don't…_miss_ him?" Her brows knit together, and I knew she felt rude for saying it. But it was the truth.

"He doesn't expect you to miss him, sweetie," Jasper said. "But he took care of you for the first weeks of your life. _He_ misses _you_."

Makenna looked perplexed. "He misses me?" I saw the absolute disbelief on her face.

"Of course he does!" Jasper replied. "He was your sole provider when you were an infant. He wants the best for you, and to make sure that you're alright."

"Uh…alright then. I guess he can come," Makenna replied, a slight frown on her face.

"Are you sure you're alright with it, Mickey?" Jasper asked. "You seem hesitant. I don't want to influence your decision; I was just explaining why he would want to see you. This is entirely up to you. If it makes you uncomfortable, I'll explain everything to him."

"No, of course I'm sure. But I'm worried that he'll…want me back." She ducked her head. "And I…I don't want to go."

"We won't give you up," Rosalie said firmly. "_He_ asked us to adopt you."

"Just because of the Volturi! They're gone now!" Makenna protested. Now that she'd spoken the words out loud, she seemed downright terrified by the thought.

"Trust me," Jasper said. "There will be nothing to worry about. He just wants to visit."

"He can visit," Makenna said. "Go ahead and call him back." But I saw her worried expression. And now that the little worrier had brought it up, I couldn't help but be slightly worried as well.

* * *

The day that Nahuel was to visit, you could almost see the anticipation buzzing in the air. Makenna, especially, was manic; she couldn't seem to sit still, and Seth's attempts to calm her were futile. She was truly scared that Nahuel would be taking her back, and no amount of attempting to pacify that fear was getting through to her.

"I'd fight him if he tried to take you," Seth said boldly, puffing his chest out. "He won't be going anywhere with you. You're our family now, not his."

Makenna smiled absently and patted his shoulder indulgently. She knew as well as any of us that Seth would really be no match if it came down to any kind of stand off between her half brother and him, but no one dared to burst his bubble. He'd just started attempting to take on the protector role of her recently, and it was more _amusing_ than anything to watch. Since both were only early into puberty, Makenna was still taller than Seth, but Seth didn't seem to notice or care. He had it set in his mind that he could protect her.

When the knock on our door finally came that signaled Nahuel's arrival, you could have heard a pin drop in that house. Esme gave Makenna one last reassuring smile before pulling the door open, and the tall dark skinned man entered with an air of grace. "Esme," he said warmly, smiling at her. "How nice to see your beautiful face once more."

Esme looked embarrassed. "Oh, Nahuel, you flatter me," she laughed. I swear, when Esme laughed, it was the best sound in the world. She just radiated happiness and made you want to laugh right along with her.

Nahuel's eyes fell on Makenna, and he looked to be in mild awe with his sister. "Makenna," he said breathlessly. "You've gotten so big. And so pretty."

"Um…thank you," Makenna said politely. She smiled at him, all dimples and straight white teeth.

"And you've completely lost your native accent." Nahuel looked slightly disappointed. "The Cullens have civilized you in the American way." He didn't sound disgusted by it; just resigned.

I saw Seth watching coolly from the wall he leaned against, arms folded. I nearly snickered. My son looked like he was ready to bust some heads.

"We love her like a biological daughter," Rosalie said, hugging Makenna from behind. "We feel like she's a part of us."

"I can see that," Nahuel said, working to smile back.

"She has a special talent, Nahuel," Esme said, placing a hand on Makenna's shoulder. "Go ahead, Mickey, tell him."

Makenna hesitated. "I…I'm a healer. I can heal people from any injury if I reach the one injured in time." She squirmed uncomfortably at all the attention, frowning at the floor.

Nahuel beamed. "My Makenna is so talented." He stepped forward and enveloped her in a hug.

Makenna squeaked in surprise. She allowed the hug, but didn't put her arms back around him. I saw Seth bristling in the corner when he saw how uncomfortable Makenna looked, and I shot him a warning look.

If Nahuel noticed, he didn't say anything. He kissed her hair. "My little sister…so grown up."

I glanced over at Nessie, who had a clear view of Makenna's expression. From the way she grimaced at me, it must've been a sight.

"Nahuel," Emmett said quickly. "I think you're making her uncomfortable." Leave it to Emmett to be the one who said it.

Nahuel pulled back quickly. "I'm sorry, Makenna. I didn't mean—I forgot that you've become so comfortable with your new family. You look at those two as your parents?" He gestured to Rosalie and Emmett.

"I don't _look_ at them as anything. They _are_ my parents."

Nahuel nodded. "I see. Well, I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. It's just that…I guess I expected you to still remember me well."

"Not well," Makenna admitted. "But I was young." She added that last bit as an afterthought, like she was afraid she'd hurt his feelings.

"You were young," Nahuel agreed softly. "Very young."

I looked over at Nessie and her already growing stomach. She was watching Makenna warily, as if expecting her to start throwing a fit and screaming that she wanted to stay. But Nahuel hadn't said anything. Yet.

"Let's sit, Nahuel," Esme said kindly. "It must've been a long journey.

"Six days," Nahuel said, having a seat on the sofa gratefully. "I don't feel comfortable in vehicles."

"They're a lot easier than running clear from South America," Emmett shrugged. "How long you plan on staying before you make the return trip?"

"It is up to you," Nahuel said humbly. "I could leave tonight if I were needed to."

"Dear, I insist you stay and rest up with us for a few _weeks_ at least before you head back," Esme said kindly. "There's no need to make such a long trip and leave a couple days later."

"Are you sure, ma'am?" Nahuel asked cautiously. "I don't wish to intrude. I just wanted to see my little sister before she completely grew up. I notice that she appears to be about thirteen or fourteen years of age now, so I'm glad I came when I did."

"I'm absolutely sure, Nahuel. Make yourself comfortable. We have an extra bedroom."

"Thank you," Nahuel said quietly. He looked like he wasn't used to such hospitality. But then again, he would have gotten nothing less from Esme.

"Makenna, would you like to show Nahuel where the spare room is?" Carlisle asked.

"Uh…sure," Makenna mumbled. She led him up the stairs so that he could dump his bag.

The minute they were upstairs, Emmett chuckled. "Well, this is one awkward family reunion," he hissed, grinning at the lot of us.

Esme smacked his arm, but her eyes and everyone else's showed that not only did they agree, they expected it to get a lot worse.


End file.
